Lamp supporting and operating structure



Aug. 17, 1954 w 5 BROWN 2,686,852

LAMP SUPPORTING AND OPERATING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 6. 1951 r {gm HiI-F'iii w M i-l M's firromvsys Patented Aug. 17, 1954 LAMP SUPPORTING AND OPERATING STRUCTURE William E. Brown, Anderson,

General Motors Cor 7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in circuit continuing devices, and more particularly to circuit continuing devices of the cludes a light bulb.

able means. To accomplish these and other objects, the circuit continuing device comprises a one-piece casing of molded insulating body supporting a metallic socket adapted to be connected with a source. The sleeve is adapted to receive and support a lamp base having a metal sheath connected with one end of a lamp filament and having a terminal connected to the other end of the lamp filament, the sheath making electrical connection with the sleeve. The circuit opening device comprises, a movable concircuit through the lamp. The spring operates to urge the movable contact into engagement with the grounding terminal. A plunger of insulating material carries the movable contact and operates to separate the movable contact from the ground terminal to disconnect the lamp from the circuit and comwhen a door of a compartment is substantially closed. When the door is ground terminal.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accom- In the drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional View taken on line of Fig. 2, with the lamp removed.

Fig. 2 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 2 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View like Fig. 1 with a lamp assembled.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the body alone. 7 Fig. 7 is an end view of the body looking in direction of arrow 8 in Fig. 6.

Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views taken on lines 88 and 9-9, respectively of Fig. 6.

Ind., assignor to poration, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application February 6, 1951,

Serial No. 209,628

Referring to the drawings, 20 designates a one-piece molded body or housing of insulating material or plastic. The body 20 is formed with a cylindrical recess 2| extending from one end and terminating short of the other end to provide an end wall 22 having a central opening 23. The recess is interrupted by a pair of diametrical longitudinal grooves 24 and 25, a circumferential groove 26, communicating with grooves 24 and 25, a pair of rectangular openings 21 spaced between the grooves 24 and 25. The groove 24 has a lateral extending groove 28 formed therein to provide a shoulder 28. A notch 29 is formed in a groove 30 which extends a certain distance from the mouth of the recess but terminating short of one of the openings 21. The grooves 24 and 25 extend within the body and terminate short of the end wall 22 to provide shoulders or abutments 3|. The open end or mouth of the body is tapered to provide easy assembly of parts to be assembled within the recess.

The body 20 carries an apertured metallic retainer clip or button 32 abutting the outer face of the end wall 22 and secured thereto by an eyelet 33 having a flange 34 engaging the inner face of the wall trical contact therewith as at 36. The clip is provided with a plurality of resilient prongs 31 which are adapted to snap into an opening provided by a metallic support 38.

The eyelet 32 slidably supports a plunger 40. The plunger is formed from molded insulating material or plastic and includes a stem 4| and an enlarged head 42. The head is embraced by a cup-shaped contact 43 which is secured to the head by spinning over the rim of the cup against the head 42. The contact is adapted to engage the flange 34 of the eyelet. The plunger and contact assembly is assembled in the recess by inserting same at the mouth of the recess. The contact 43 has a sliding fit with the recess to line axial moveto engage the to form the ground for an limit the outward move- The coils i and 52 are formed along the same axis. The spring is inserted at the mouth of the recess so that the end convolution of the large coil 5i engages the contact 43. The small coil 52 extends thru an aperture of an insulating disc 54 which has diametrical peripheral extensions 55 which, when inserted in the recess, the projections register with the grooves 24 and 25.

A lamp sleeve socket construction 66 is preferably formed from an elongated flat piece of relatively resilient sheet metal. The socketis provided with projecting fingers B I, an L-shaped opening having an axial leg and a circumferential leg at a sufficient distance from the outer end of the socket speaking with reference to the showing in Figs. 1 and 5. The socket has a radial projection or lug 55, formed by striking portions of the socket Ell outwardly, and a diametrical bayonet slot 66 extending inwardly from the outer end of the socket. A tongue 81 is provided by the socket and is adapted to be bent over upon itself to-secure a bared end 6% of a cable 69 thereto.

To assemble the socket 66 within the recess 2|, the lug 65 must be properly aligned with groove 25 and the bent overtongue 61 is in registry with notch 28 so that the inner end of the socket will engage the extensions 55 of the disc 54. When the inner edge of the lugs 65 engages the shoulder 28 the fingers 6i will be opposite the openings 2?. A suitable tool is used to bend the fingers ti outwardly into the openings 2'! and against the end marginal wall 21a, see Figs. 1 and 5, thereby locking the sleeve socket 60 within the recess 2i. After the tool is removed from the openings 2'1 the spring portion 5| will tend to return to its normal state until the extensions 55 of disc as, engages the inner end of the socket 333, thus holding the spring portion 5| under compression between the disc E i and the contact .3, thus the contact 63 is held firmly against the flange 35 of eyelet 33, as seen in Fig.1.

Adapted to cooperate with the socket is an electric lamp iii having a base portion H provided with an axial contact i2 connected to one end of a filament, the other end of the filament is suitably connected to the metal sheath or shell of the base portion which is well known in the art. A pair of diametrical bayonet pins extend radially from the base for cooperation with the bayonet slot and the lug and its associated opening. When the lampis inserted in the socket, with the pins in alignment with the entrance of slot and the lug and the contact 12 in engagement with the end and coil portion 52, it will be against the urging force of the coil 5| until the bayonet pins are in registry with the wall of circumferential portions of the slot and opening in the socket and the lamp is rotated to bring the pins opposite the bayonet seats provided by the bayonet-joint socket and opening in the socket. With the parts thus assembled the spring coil 5| is operable to return yieldably the pins of the lamp in engagement with the seats as is well known.

The body and lamp construction may now be assembled as a unit in the opening of the support. This assembly is efiected by inserting the body in the opening with the prongs 3? yielding until the flange 8d of the clip abuts the supporting means. When this happens the prongs will tend to return to their normal state and hold the body in place and provide a ground connection with the support 38. It will of course be understood that if desired, the lamp may be assembled after the body is assembled with the support.

The operation of the devices is best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. As shown in Fig. l, the lamp is removed, but the various parts of the unit are shown in the On position with the plunger extended by the biasing force of the spring 50. When a lamp is in the socket the end of the coil 52 will bear against the contact .3 and the coil 5i will bear against the contact H and forcesame against the flange 34 of eyelet 33 to form a ground for an electric circuit; the circuit is completed from the conductor, socket 66, base ii, filament in lamp, contact H spring 513, contact 43, eyelet 33, clip 32 and then support 86.

Asillustratedin Fig. 5 when a closure member 8| bearsagainst plunger 40, the plunger moves contact 43 from the eyelet 33 to compress the coil 5| and open the connection between eyelet 33 and contact 43.

While the embodiment of the present invention'as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is'as follows:

- 1. A lamp supporting and operating structure comprising a'molded insulating body having a recess therein and opening to one end thereof and terminating short'of the other end to provide an end wall for the body, said end wall having a-central openingytubular terminal means extending through the opening and secured to the end-wall; a plunger of insulating material slidably' extending through terminal means; a contact within the recess carried by the plunger and movable into and out of engagement with the terminal; an electrical socket carried within said recess and adapted to' receive and hold a lamp; anapertured insulating disc located with the recess and seated against thesocket; a conducting helical-spring having a portion disposed between the ing said contact against the terminal andhaving a portion extending through the aperture of the disc adapted to engage a contact of the lamp; means for retaining the lamp in the socket; and a conductor connected to the socket to provide electric current to the lamp.

2.'A lamp supportingand operating structure comprising a molding insulating body having a recess therein and opening to one end thereof and terminating short of the other end to provide an end wall for thebody, said end wall having a central opening; a hollow terminal extending through the opening and having portions overlying inner andouter, surfaces or the end wall; a movable plunger of insulating material guided by the terminal; ,a contact carried by the plunger adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the terminal; a metal socket supported within the recess for receiving a lamp base, said base having a metal sleeve connected with one lead of the lamp filament and also having an end contact connected with the other lead of the lamp, said socket making electrical connection with the sleeve; an insulating disc having an opening and having radial extension resting on the innermost end of the Socket; a one-piece conducting wire formed to provide a plurality of spaced relativelylargeconvolutions and a plurality of contacting relatively small convolutions, said large convolutions being disposed above the disc with the innermost convolution engaging the movable contact, and; saidsmall convolutions adapted to extend through the aperture of the disc and the movable contact for urgelectric current to the lamp; and means for actuating the plunger to separate the contact from the hollow terminal.

3. A lamp supporting and operating structure comprising a one-piece body of insulating material having a recess therein and opening to one end thereof and terminating short of the other end to provide an end wall for the body, said wall having a central opening; a tubular metallic member extending through the opening and having a portion to serve as a terminal, an electrical socket non-rotatably supported within the recess and adapted to hold a lamp and for making an electrical connection; an apertured insulating non-rotatable support within the recess and adapted to seat against the socket; a one-piece conducting spring having relatively large convolutions disposed beyond the support and having relatively small convolutions adapted to extend through the aperture of the support to engage a contact of the lamp; a plunger slidably extending through said tubular metallic member, a contact carried by the plunger between the tubular metallic member and the spring, said spring operating in one direction and the contact into engagement with the terminal to complete an electric circuit through the lamp; and a conductor connected to the socket to provide electric current to the lamp.

4. In combination, a body; a pair of metallic members carried by the body in longitudinally spaced relation, one to be connected to ground, the other to receive a lamp; a movable actuator extending through the grounded member and carrying a contact located within the body; an apertured insulating member supported within the body, yieldable conducting means between the contact and the insulating member and yieldably resisting movement of said contact by said actuator, said conducting means comprising a one-piece conducting wire formed to provide at least two coils, one of said coils comprising a plurality of spaced relatively large convolutions disposed between the movable contact and the insulating member while the other coil comprises a plurality of relatively small convolutions extending through the aperture of the insulating member and adapted to engage a terminal provided by the lamp.

5. In combination with a body, of a terminal carried by the body and adapted to be connected to ground; a movable contact; an apertured disc supported within the body; a one-piece conducting wire formed to provide two coils disposed 6. In combination with a body, of a tubular terminal an apertured disc supported within the body; a one-piece conducting wire formed to provide two coils, one of said coils combody; a conducting spring, said spring having one end movable contact and having tion engaging the disc and having the other end References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,206,094 Hobbs July 2, 1940 2,271,910 Bluemle Feb. 3, 1942 2,646,477 Herterick July 21, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 333,565 Great Britain Aug. 12, 1930 968,670 France Dec. 1, 1950 

